If anyone is having one meal, he should consider him blessed for there are countless people who go hungry every night and even a morsel of bread is a grand dinner for them. Those who have plenty to eat, therefore, must thank the Lord for everything He has provided to them.
When I was a child, we read the following rhyme thanking God:
“Thank you, God, for the food we eat, Thank you God for the world so sweet,
Thank you, God, for the birds that sing, Thank you God for everything!”
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ also asked his companions and believers to praise Allah after eating and drinking for had Allah not blessed us, who else could? The Hadith is mentioned in in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (Book # 48 Pertaining to the Remembrance of Allah, Supplication, Repentance and Seeking Forgiveness كتاب الذكر والدعاء والتوبة والاستغفار / Chapter # 24 t Is Recommend to Praise Allah After Eating and Drinking باب اسْتِحْبَابِ حَمْدِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى بَعْدَ الأَكْلِ وَالشُّرْبِ) as Hadith number 2734 a:
Anas b. Malik reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said:
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، وَابْنُ، نُمَيْرٍ - وَاللَّفْظُ لاِبْنِ نُمَيْرٍ - قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بِشْرٍ عَنْ زَكَرِيَّاءَ بْنِ أَبِي زَائِدَةَ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ أَبِي بُرْدَةَ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ، مَالِكٍ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَيَرْضَى عَنِ الْعَبْدِ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ الأَكْلَةَ فَيَحْمَدَهُ عَلَيْهَا أَوْ يَشْرَبَ الشَّرْبَةَ فَيَحْمَدَهُ عَلَيْهَا " .
Allah is pleased with His servant who says: Al-Hamdu lillah " الحمد لله " while taking a morsel of food and while drinking.
It doesn't take a second to commence eating by saying " بِسۡمِ اللهِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِيۡمِ " (In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate) and end the eating or drinking by praising Allah, saying " الحمد لله ". If we make this our daily routine, believe me more and more blessings will be added to our means of sustenance and our overall living become more blessed and bountiful. In fact, we should be thankful to Allah for everything for we are the same humans as those who have nothing to eat or even to clothe themselves to cover their bodies or do not have shelter to be safe from natural hazards and severity of weather.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
Please refer to our reference page: Sunnah and Hadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to know more about sunnah of Prophet of Allah. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.
Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references as given below. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors. If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.
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